Saturday, September 17, 2011

"vandura"

"vandura" is one of our prized vehicles. actually it's a crappy 30yr old van that somehow managed to get us 1000miles across the country. and for that we are very thankful!

currently vandura is being used as a shed. here's a few pics of the beast:

and when i say beast, i really mean beast. jambaloney's friends at work really killed themselves laughing when they saw this thing. it's our first vehicle...can you believe it?

here's some pics of the inside...ya gotta just love the 1980's burgundy! this baby was kept in mint condition by the previous owners...Canadian snowbirds who used it to drive to Florida every winter...ya gotta love them!

yep, that's more burgundy vinyl!

this is towards the back of the van. it has all kinds of shelves and storage built in.

here's the seats, a table fits in between them and these seats fold down into the most uncomfortable bed known to man. we know. we slept on that horrible bed. actually, no, we lay shivering for a few hours just outside of Rigaud, Quebec. jambaloney had just broken the new thermostat so that we had no heat. i was ready to scream.

mint condition. and be sure to check out the burgundy velvet curtains all over the place.

here's the porta potti in it's own little bathroom. we ripped the bathroom door off because the bathroom area provided more storage space.

here's the stove for cooking on the road:

the fridge:

the sink next to the stove (see the velevet curtains?):

sink and stove again:

the counter with storage and a plug:

the loft...teehee...it was pretty squished up there but the cats spent most of their time up there on the drive.

one last look inside:

so that is what we drove to get to our destination. looking back - we should have just flown. but we were worried about how our cats would react to flying. plus the fact that we both hate flying. i have flown pretty much around the world and if i never got in an airplane again it would be too soon. jambaloney hates flying too. so we got vandura and he drove it 1,000 miles, in the winter, in a 6 hour snow storm, in the dark...with only about 45hrs of driving experience. he is a trooper, my jambaloney!

anyway, if you are wondering why we chose to come to this remote little place...here's why:

that's our piece of the Framboise River. and sky. and there is no one around to bug us. isn't it beautiful?

in the near future you can expect posts with us melting snow to flush the toilet, boiling snow and running it through our Berkeys (thank you Berkeys!) for drinking water, washing laundry by hand (thank you Jennifer!) and a whole pile of getting the yard cleared, re-clearing the road (thank you Jimmy!) and a bunch of other fun. hey we got 9 months of fun stuff to fill in on. we hope you enjoy the ride. we did. well, no, not at the time. well okay it pretty much sucked. but we laugh looking back and hope that you will too.

sincerely,kymber(p.s. - jambaloney promises to put down the husqvarna, fishing rod, re-curve, throwing knives, shovel and wheelbarrow and a bunch of other stuff in order to start posting soon!)

10 comments:

First my serious comments: It really takes a certain bit of fortitude to leap. Truly. Many speak of someday and long for when they will have a different life...you have actually made your life a verb! May not be easy, and boy muscle groups develop in areas you did not know you had- but you will never regret your decision!

Now to the jokes: My kids call all vans like this Rape Vans- tinted creepy and perfect to be eViL in! But the velvet curtains made me think-hmm if Hugh Hefner had a travel van and was not a bizillionaire because of his porn magazine, HE would own this van!!

Jennifer - you just made me spit tea all over the screen! now for my serious comments: it does take a bit of fortitude. but we had it so much easier than alot of people who have come before us. we have been able to learn from those who have come before us, we were able to learn from people like you and that makes ALL the difference. it sure ain't easy and we are becoming even more physically fit - oh and eating even better than we were (the dairy here is all local and rocks!)...but like you, we seem to thrive in our new homestead!

now on to my jokes: poor jambaloney drove that thing into work and scared his poor under-30 colleagues. they called it "the child molesting van". but when we showed the van to some of the 20-something guys here, they were all "oh man! that's awesome! it's a shaggin-wagon!". we have a couple of young guys here who really love it. it's so funny.

oh and the hugh hefner thing made me spit more tea. looks like you are going to have to pay to replace it! bahahahahah!

but thanks for stopping in and leaving your as usual inspiring and uplifting comments. you are a dear friend. the forever kind.

Stephen - you can borrow that van anytime buddy! and ya - we got some real good eats out of that river. jambaloney goes out all the time in his canoe and is the only one out there. we have been eating fresh trout and potatoes for breakfast since spring. and it is yummy!

Tango - he wants to catch more than we can eat. we can freeze alot and smoke alot of fish but if he keeps on the way he is going - we are going to be up to our eyeballs in trout. i would love to send you some....

it has a 454 v8 that makes a hell of a noise - we were too much "on the run" to have paid attention to the gas - all i did was keep the tank above half full as we drove like maniacs for 2 days in december to get here through insane weather....

i think it cost about $300 to cover 1600 km (1000 miles) i doubt we did more that 15-20 mpg...

About Framboise Manor

Framboise Manor is our Bug-Out Location (BOL) that we have been living in since December 2010. As can be seen by the above picture - calling it simply a "Manor" doesn't do it justice - we bet you think it is more like an "Estate", eh?

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Who Are We?

we are jambaloney and kymber. here's a pic of us below...we look very happy and content. it's because we really are!

About jambaloney

(he's only 23 in this pic...he has 20+years of additional muscle now...if you can believe it!)

kymber here and talking about jambaloney.

i've always called him my angel. my rock. my best half. the best part of what i have always wanted to become.

he has a soul as big as the biggest mountain, he is strong, he is in incredible physical condition, he is 51 and yet most people think he is under 40. he is humble and modest, charming, gorgeous and will help anyone with anything at anytime. he never grumbles and only every now and again complains or is a tiny bit cranky (nothing that a hug can't fix!). he can cut both sides out of 70 tires in minutes, build raised beds from scrap wood that he drags out of the forest, weedwhack 800ft of our road down to the river, and haul more wheelbarrows of dirt, mulch, rocks and seaweed than is probably medically-advised. he's learned how to braid, make bread and no one makes better rice - not even the chinese. he supports my every, crazy endevour. he went 44 years without a driver's license and got his license after being trained by my crazily-wonderful french canadian friend in 2 weeks. she never stopped talking the whole time. in french.

he has biked everywhere his entire life, at one job he biked 24km EACH WAY. that's to and from! 24km to work AND 24km from work! oh and just accidentally has an honours degree in philosophy.

i believe that he is Our Lord's most beautiful and perfect creation. but i might be biased. he can very accurately shoot a ben pearson cougar re-curve from both the left and right. and his aim is dead on.

he is bow-legged and only 5'7", but has the most incredible eyes. and a tiny mole on his upper lip. he writes the most romantic "insta-poems". he tells me he loves me several times a day. he calls me "babe" and "honey". and he means it.he loves hot sauce and spicey things like cayenne and banana peppers, he buys (or now picks) me flowers, he left a lucrative, high-paying IT job and his family to follow me here to this remote little island. he builds me shelves and washes all of our laundry with me by hand.

oh and he was baptized Anglican. and was an alter boy. sheesh. somehow, through my intervention, i am turning him into a pagan-christian-fundamentalist-confuscian. look, even i can't figure that out!

the name jambaloney is a nickname that i gave him over 10 years ago. he still uses it. he can be reached at "jambaloney@gmail.com". he loves comments or emails. and he loves me.

if i were given the opportunity to wish one thing for the world - i would wish that every woman on the planet had a jambaloney. i know that i could save the world this way. i have friends who have asked me to clone him. i am trying. believe me, i am trying. one day i will perfect the science involved, and when that happens, i promise all of you a jambaloney.

i love him more than...breathing, lobster, boiled dinner, fresh bread out of the oven, bugging out, singing back up for Madonna (ok...i made that one up!), fresh sheets on the bed, a glass of red wine after a long day, sunflower seeds, lavender, growing my own potatoes, T.S. Eliot, dancing, my babies (who are really just cranky old cats!) and the Bible.

i love him more than i love Framboise Manor. and i really love Framboise Manor.

About kymber

(this pic might seem odd. trust me, it's not. 20 yrs ago kymber went shopping with a girlfriend from the military and bought this dress. then she hooked up with that girlfriend recently. they caught up through email and one day kymberz friend mentioned that specific dress. kymber said she still had it (kymber still has her prom gown for crying out loud!). the friend did not believe it. so we had to take a pic of kymber wearing the 20yr old dress for her friend. kymber always likes to add accessories...and well, we had the bunny ears laying around. ya know, cuz everyone always has pink bunny ears laying around. ok, that's it...i am out of here! jambaloney)

what can i say about kymber?? A LOT!!most of it will have to wait for blog entries ‘cuz i just don’t have enough space here to do her justice…

so i’ll have to do my best… first and foremost, kymber is my partner and i will love her forever. she is the best partner anyone could ever have, i am one lucky guy!! she is 46, she is sweet as can be, smart as a whip, super cute, exceptionally feminine, strong as an ox, honest, kind, empathetic, wise, an amazing dancer, a master wit in speaking and writing….i could go on..i will!

at 5’ 1’’ she packs a wallop – a true force of nature -she is a master gardener and chef and spent 10 years in the Canadian Military – she has done 2 tours of Alert (the north bloody-cold pole). she is a UN-certified Korean linguist and spoils our 2 cats rotten. she also spent 12yrs working in the federal government, as a communications analyst at SolGen (now PSEPC) and Fintrac. she loves nature in the true sense of the phrase..the wildflowers, insects and birds here at framboise manor keep her entranced and captivated for hours.

anyone who is her friend knows that she will stop at nothing to help and heal, dedication and loyalty are an integral part of who she is and she is dead serious about anything she puts her mind to. yet she maintains the most delicate touch and a smile on her face always, never afraid to live and love no matter where and when.

she is the most genuine human being i have ever met! and she has encouraged me to embark on the most crazy and exciting adventure i could imagine… thank you babe - i sooo love you!!!